By Staff
A Laurel Hill, Fla., country singer will headline the entertainment for the 27th annual Blueberry Festival in downtown Brewton.
Entertainment will range from a wandering magician to bands to &#8220Memories of Mayberry.”
The Blueberry Festival will return to downtown Brewton for just the second year. Activities will take place in and around Burnt Corn Creek Park.
Headliner Jim Hubbard, who just recorded a new 10-song CD, &#8220Countryfied,” will perform at noon Saturday, June 16.
Hubbard said he developed a passion for music thanks to the records his father played in their home in central Arkansas. A teenage bull rider, Hubbard is also a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Hubbard's combination of traditional and country rock music has been influenced by legends such as George Jones, Merle Haggard and George Strait, he said. Hubbard has performed at a variety of venues throughout the South.
Silver Eagle of Brewton - a band made up of Buddy Bell and friends - will kick off the entertainment at 10 a.m. Saturday. The band will perform country and gospel songs.
They will be followed by Middle Ground, a country classic band from Jay, Fla., at 10:45 a.m. The Heart of Dixie Cloggers of Brewton will perform at 11:30 a.m., and the Twin Creek Cloggers, also of Brewton, will perform at 1:45 p.m.
Captivated, a Christian rock band made up of members of churches in the surrounding area, will follow headliner Hubbard at 12:45 p.m.
Lois Crenshaw and Frank Barnes will perform gospel songs at 2:15 p.m., and Josh Pugh will perform Southern rock and blues at 2:15 p.m. He will also perform with the band Chief Justice.
This year, entertainment won't be limited to the music stage. Throughout the day, a roving magician will interact with the crowd and perform magic tricks. And impersonators playing &#8220Barney” and &#8220Gomer” will provide &#8220Memories of Mayberry,” with the characters taking pictures with the crowd and serving fake arrest warrants. They will bring a replica of Andy Griffith's vintage police car.
For children, games and rides including a water slide will be available in the children's section of the festival.
The Blueberry Festival opens at 9 a.m. and features food vendors, arts and crafts and, of course, blueberries. There is no admission.